Top 3 Movies Featuring a Summer Camp

By Amir Said

#3 Little Darlings

A movie about two white girls (from different socio-economic backgrounds) and their "competition" to see who gives "it" up first. Now that's a movie. The realism, the action, I believeded this movie. The way Kristy McNichol acted all tough...Oh, and how Tatum O'Neal gave one of the performances of her life...before she blew it all on $2 crack and a dream.

For my money, when I was a kid, the real star was Krista Errickson (Cinder). For some reason, I thought she was fly. Tatum O'neal (Ferris) was pretty and all, but Errickson (Cinder) drew me in more. And McNichol (Angel), she was a turn-off. The first time I saw Little Darlings, I was too young to really understand it all. I mean, I hadn't yet seen (first-hand) the angst and confusion that a teenage girl could go through, in dealing with the prospect of losing her virginity. Also, I didn't quite get some of the melodrama. But the second time I saw Little Darlings, I was older, and more experienced. And there were a lot of little things that I was able to readily pick up. Plus, I was now able to better understand Randy's character (Matt Dillon). Yep, yep, this movie actually taught me a few things...

#2 Friday the 13th

CLASSIC. This was the first movie I ever saw in a drive-in! What the fuck was my mother and father thinkin', draggin' me to an 11pm showing of Friday the 13th? I have to reason that they thought I'd simply fall asleep. NEGATIVE. I watched the whole flick, didn't blink or turn away once. O.K., so I had to turn away for the naked scenes. Better yet, my mother covered my face with her hand. But hey, my mother's fingers weren't that damn big, so I did get to see a little skin. Wait a minute, let me get this straight. My mother covered my eyes so I couldn't see some dangling breasts. But she uncovered my eyes to let me see a psychopathic killer terrorize a bunch of sex-crazed teenagers? There's gotta be a reason for that. hmmm...

Anyway, Friday the 13th was actually a revenge flick. The fact that Jason (Ari Lehman) seemed to enjoy taunting the shit out of these truly moronic campers is I guess what made it a first rate horror pic...

#1 Meatballs

And now for the absolute #1 movie featuring a summer camp: Meatballs. Awgh, man, this movie was the shiznit. Here's the setting... Two opposing camps... On one side you had the "rich kid camp", Camp Mohawk; and on the other side, you had the "middle-class misfit camp", Camp North Star. Camp North Star is where most of the story takes place. There, the group of young, rag-tag campers are lead by a freewheeling head counselor named Tripper (Bill Murray). Each member of the supporting cast had their own "thing". For instance, there was Hardware, he was the tech guy who could rig anything that was electronic... There's was A.L., she was the model-type, very pretty, but real cool and down-to-earth... There was "The Stomach" (Peter Hume), he was the fat guy and the resident hot dog eating champion... There was Spaz (Jack Blum), he was the nerd... And then there was Rudy (Chris Makepeace).

Rudy's story was a major part of Meatballs. His character suffered from low self-esteem and an inability to fit in or make friends. Rudy and Tripper, the head camp counselor, develop a friendship and this is where the movie shines. While Tripper helps Rudy snap out of his shell, Rudy returns the favor by helping Tripper win over the girl of his dreams, fellow counselor Roxanne (Kate Lynch).

In the 80s, there would be many attempts at the "summer camp movie." Many of which would try to employ the template created by Meatballs and Little Darlings. Most of these movies failed. And as time grew on and the world got seemingly a little crazier, the role of sleep away summer camps in American society dwindled. Likewise, the number of "summer camp movies" dramatically declined. But if you want to get a real good glance at how American culture once was, more specifically, how real and laid back American teens used to be, give the aforementioned "summer camp movies" a spin.

"It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter... It just doesn't matter..." - Camp North Star.

Comments

[retro jordan 2]

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company!

[christian louboutin]

*The person who thinks himself is happy can enjoy happiness!

[LV Monogram Miroir]

In fact, a quantum particle under the right conditions stays on the table and rolls back.